In cartoons, when someone is hit over the head, their vision blurs and they see three of everything. Sound is distorted and even just moving requires a great deal of effort. Of course, for these characters, a quick shake of the head solves everything. But for me, the aftereffects of discontinuing my antidepressants meant even just laying down, I felt like the room was on a high-speed carousel. It was like the worst hangover of my life, without the fun of drinking the night before.Read More
Love Letters To My 20s: A Fortnightly Column On The Stigma Surrounding Our Twenties “You don’t need a new you. You don’t need replacing every year like another iPhone. Don’t throw yourself away like another piece of plastic trash. Love the old you. Improve, evolve, do better, but head towards yourself, not away. Be gentle […]Read More
Before the pandemic, working from home was a luxury I enjoyed for one day most weeks. It was a chance to escape interruptions, have an opportunity to focus on specific projects and act as a mental health fire-break. When the first lockdown meant we had to stay at home, I envisaged it would just be […]Read More
Instagram is a digital minefield for mental health – and its danger is increasing through online trolls, super-toned celebrities, and perfect holidays to Dubai, to name just a few. 40% of the world’s population is now on social media. That’s a huge three billion people jeopardising their mental health for an average of two to […]Read More
When the catastrophic storm of COVID-19 hit the world was unprepared, it left huge destruction in its wake. With the number of cases rising at an alarming rate within the week of March 16th – 23rd, with the total infections rising to almost 100,000, drastic action needed to be taken in a bid to control the virus. […]Read More
2020 was a difficult year. The sudden proximity of death in a society which has distanced itself from death and the dead will leave a deep scar on the UK psyche. The UK already has a very remote relationship with death. After death, the body is hidden away, while other cultures display it or even […]Read More
Fear is a complex emotion. Though traditionally seen as a negative feeling that makes us worried and unhappy, the truth is that fear takes many different forms. A fear of losing your job, for example, is wildly different to a fear of spiders. Indeed, horror is a genre of fiction specifically made for those who […]Read More
Pandemic-friendly ways to spend the famous countdown to midnight and welcome 2021.Read More
The word ‘unprecedented’ has been flying around for the last year. As has the phrase ‘I can’t wait for 2020 to be over’. As unexpected and chaotic as this year has been, some things have (dare I say it) changed for the better. Some things we’re moving forward with, taking into 2021, and hopefully embracing […]Read More
January, the month of resolutions; we ditch booze and grab our running shoes. January is also synonymous with ‘Veganuary’ – a non-profit started in 2014 – which encourages people to become vegan for a month. This January marks two years since I became vegan. Previously, I was someone who ate everything: moose, veal, snails, you […]Read More
Refreshing the page time after time – thrilled when another like popped up, disappointed when one didn’t. I constantly stared at the selfie until I hated it. Delete. Why did I even post it? This was just one of the many instances I craved the approval from others that social media could supply. I realise […]Read More
2020 has been… a lot. As people’s mental and physical health suffer, self-care has surged in popularity. But forget about the countryside walks and long baths because a different sort of self-care is predicted to take over in the new year: v-care. The beauty of self-care is that it can mean almost anything to anyone, […]Read More
Trigger Warning: this article contains issues relating to consent, assault, digital assault, and revenge porn. It is 2009, I am 14 years old, and I am going to school early to let one of my peers touch me in places that I know are private. He is blackmailing me, making me believe that I have […]Read More
As this never-ending year finally limps to a close I find myself in much the same position as I started in. I am 23, still single, still working a part-time job in retail, and still living at home. And yet this year has changed me beyond what I could have expected. I am now the […]Read More
We all know that feeling of defeat when you finish work for the day and can’t be bothered to do that small workout you had planned. Instead, curling up in front of the TV with a drink and a packet of crisps. Truth is, you shouldn’t feel bad about not being active at all. With […]Read More
